73-year-old Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell was arrested this morning at the University of Wisconsin -- after bursting into a board meeting ... claiming the school tortures cats in the name of science.

Cromwell was arrested with PETA spokesman Jeremy Beckham, who accompanied Cromwell on the protest ambush.

According to a UW spokesperson, Cromwell and Beckham burst into a UW System Board of Regents meeting, shouting and holding signs showing a cat with metal implanted in its head at a UW-Madison lab.

PETA has claimed 30 cats a year at UW-Madison are starved, deafened, and decapitated for brain research that hasn't accomplished its goals of improving human hearing. The university denies the accusations.

Cromwell reportedly shouted, "This is not science. This is cruel!" Beckham then went limp and dropped to the floor in front of the regents.

he UW spokesperson said the regents appeared taken aback by the sudden distraction, but no one responded to Cromwell or Beckham.

University police showed up shortly after and dragged Beckham out of the room. Cromwell was escorted out in handcuffs. The meeting immediately resumed.

The UW spokesperson said both men were taken to a nearby jail and are expected to be charged with disorderly conduct.

I still remember him in "Tank" when he was the dumbshit deputy and when he was getting excited while watching the psycho sheriff belt a hooker on her bare ass, the sheriff turns around and whips him across his face for being turned on.